Textile apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for friction twisting is such that S-twisted yarn and Z-twisted yarn can be produced with like treatments, the apparatus not only allowing change of direction of travel of the friction surfaces relatively to the yarn path but also reversal of the direction in which the surface succeed one another around the path.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,827,228 McNeight et al. Aug. 6, 1974 [5 TEXTILE APPARATUS 2,939,269 6/1960 Dobson s7/77.4 1 1 DavidL-McNeighgCongletom 23%;??? 1132? iiiliiiiff';13331133313311: 31332 Wllllam Mon'ls, Man'lhester, 3,705,488 12/1972 sh611 et al. 57/774 both of England [73] Assignee: Ernest Scragg & Sons Limited,

Cheshire, England [22] Filed: Feb. 26, 1973 [21] Appl. No; 335,756

[52] US. Cl. 57/77.45 [51] Int. Cl. D02g 1/04, DOIh 7/92 [58] Field of Search... 57/34 R, 34 HS, 77.3, 77.45,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,121 2/1960 Tully 57/77.4

Primary Examiner-Donald E. Watkins Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Larson, Taylor and Hinds [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for friction twisting is such that S-twisted yarn and Z-twisted yarn can be produced with like treatments, the apparatus not only allowing change of direction of travel of the friction surfaces relatively to the yarn path but also reversal of the direction in which the surface succeed one another around the path.

17 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures TEXTILE APPARATUS This invention relates to textile apparatus and is concerned particularly with friction twisting apparatus.

A friction twisting apparatus is such that a travelling yarn travels along a path to be simultaneously in contact with a succession of travelling friction surfaces whereof the directions of travel are transverse to the yarn path and all such as to impart a twist of the same hand to the yarn. The friction surfaces may be provided by rotating wheels or bushes, or by driven belts or bands.

The apparatus may have its succession of friction surfaces distributed around the yarn path so that perpendiculars to the planes, in which the friction surfaces lie and travel, at the regions of yarn contact are at the angles of a polygon, conveniently a regular polygon, eg a triangle, there being corresponding to each angle of the polygon a set of the surfaces whose perpendiculars are coincident, and each such surface being next succeeded along the yarn path by a surface of the set corresponding to an adjacent angle of the polygon considered in the same direction around the polygon in each case.

The invention is concerned with friction twisting apparatus as just described, which will be referred to as friction twisting apparatus of the class specified.

Hitherto in, the use of friction twisting apparatus of the class specified, the only adjustment made when producing Z-twist yarn as compared with S-twist yarn is the reversal of the direction of travel of the travelling surfaces, the direction around the polygon in which the surfaces are successively contacted being unchanged.

We have observed that the qualities of Stwist yarn and Z-twist yarn differ considerably even when produced on the same friction twisting apparatus by this simple reversal of the direction of travel of the travelling surfaces. In many instances, one yarn may be commercially utilisable and the other not.

According to this invention, friction twisting apparatus of the class specified is so constructed and arranged that, when reversing the hand of the twist to be produced, both the direction of travel of the friction surfaces and the direction around the polygon in which the surfaces are successively contacted, both directions being as viewed in the direction of yarn travel, are reversed.

According to a feature of this invention, the apparatus may be so constructed and arranged that at least one set of the surfaces is adjustable in position relatively to the remaining sets to reverse the direction around the polygon in which the friction surfaces succeed one another, the order of contact of the yarn with the surfaces being unaltered.

In one such construction of friction twisting apparatus, the friction surfaces are provided at the peripheries of wheels arranged in at least three sets, the wheels of each set being spaced apart along a common spindle which is parallel to the spindles of the other sets, and the spindles being distributed around the yarn path so that adjacent wheels of each set have between them a single wheel of each other set. At least one of the sets is made adjustable in position relatively to the others for instance byproviding alternative mountings for its spindle or by making its spindle mounting adjustable, e.g. angularly adjustable, relatively to the yarn path.

The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatically some arrangements of this invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a view of one arrangement along a perpendicular to the planes of the friction surfaces,

FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of arrow2 on FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate other arrangements.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there are three sets of peripherally overlapping wheels 10, ll, 12 arranged in an equilateral triangular arrangement, so that a yarn in travelling generally parallel to the spindles and centrally between them contacts successively the friction rims of a wheel 10, a wheel 11, a wheel 12, a wheel 10, a wheel 11, a wheel 12 and so on, the set 11 may be made adjustable from the full line position to a position 111 which corresponds to the full line position of the set 11 but on the opposite side of the plane containing the rotational axes of the sets 10, 12. In the first case, each friction surface is succeeded by one of the set at the adjacent angle of the triangle considered (as viewed in the direction of yarn i.e., upwards in FIG. 2) in the clockwise direction aroundthe triangle and, in the second case, by a surface of the set at the adjacent angle considered anticlockwise around the triangle. The order of succession of the friction wheels along the yarn path is however unaltered.

The direction of rotation of the surfaces will be such that the yarn in traversing a surface tends to be carried towards the next surface to be contacted. That is if the sets of wheels are arranged in the order 10, 11, 12 the wheels as viewed in the direction of yarn travel will be driven clockwise, and if in the order 10, 111, 12 they will be driven anticlockwise.

Similar arrangements can be produced if there are more than three sets of surfaces, or if the surfaces are provided by rotating bushes, or driven belts or hands.

Instead of the foregoing arrangements an apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 3 may be employed. In this arrangement, there are two groups of friction members, shown as wheels, each group containing three sets 10, 11, 12, of friction members, the sets of one group (the left-hand group) being disposed so that each surface is succeeded along the yarn path by a surface of the adjacent set considered (as viewed in the direction of yarn travel) in the clockwise direction, and the sets of the other group (the right-hand group) being oppositely disposed. With this arrangement, S-twist or Z-twist or both can be produced without the necessity for the throwster to effect positional adjustment of any set.

In the apparatus of FIG. 4, there are four sets of friction members, of which the sets 10, ll, 12 are used to produce twist of one hand and the sets 10, 11a, 12 are used for producing twist of the other hand. With this apparatus either the drive to the sets is reversed when reversing the twist to be produced, or effective reversal of the direction of rotation (considered in the direction of yarn travel) is obtained by causing the yarn to travel oppositely so that the surfaces are contacted in the order say 12, 11a, 10 and so on, instead of 10, 11, 12 and so on.

A textile machine provided with friction twisting apparatuses of this invention can readily be set up to produce only S-twisted or Z-twisted yarn, or both simultaneously.

Since the yarn, whether S-twisted or Z-twisted, receives corresponding treatment, the qualities of the yarns produced will be similar.

The apparatus of this invention may be operated with advantage in accordance with a yarn processing method in which the path of the yarn when in contact with each travelling surface of a friction twisting apparatus is controlled so that the motion of the yarn is substantially a pure rolling motion, that is the yarn travels without substantial slipping or skidding over the friction surfaces. This mode of processing can be achieved by ensuring that, as nearly as possible, the yarn travels when in contact with a surface in a direction making an angle to the direction of travel of the surface substantially equal to the helix angle of the twist imparted to the yarn.

It is important when operating such a slip-free yarn processing method to ensure that when producing Z- twist as compared with S-twist, not only must the effective direction of travel of the surfaces be reversed but also the hand of the wheel or other surface arrangement must also be reversed.

When operating in a slipping mode, the change of direction of travel and change of the hand of the wheel or other surface arrangement gives desirable results.

We claim:

1. A friction twisting apparatus for yarn processing comprising means defining a yarn path including at least three sets of friction surfaces grouped about the yarn path, all the friction surfaces lying in planes parallel to each other and transverse to the yarn path with one surface succeeding another so that the yarn contacts the friction surfaces in succession and perpendiculars to said planes at the points of yarn contact are at the angles of a polygon, means for providing said friction surfaces with a direction of travel all in the same direction which is also the same direction as the direction about the polygon in which the surfaces are successively contacted by the yarn, said directions when producing a twist of one hand being the reverse of the directions when producing twist of the opposite hand.

2. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising a first group of said sets of friction surfaces for producing twist of the one hand and a second group of said sets of friction surfaces for producing twist of the opposite hand.

3. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sets of friction surfaces comprise three sets of wheels, the wheels of each set being spaced apart along a common spindle which is parallel to the spindles of the other sets, and the spindles being distributed around the yarn path so that adjacent wheels of each set have between them a single wheel of each other set.

4. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising also reversing means for reversing the said directions of travel and said direction of succession around the polygon, said reversing means including one set of said friction surfaces adjustable to a position relative to the remaining sets to reverse the direction around the polygon in which the friction surfaces succeed one another, the order of contact of the yarn with the surfaces being unaltered.

5. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sets of friction surfaces comprise three sets of wheels, the wheels of each set being spaced apart along a common spindle which is parallel to the spindles of the other sets, and the spindles being distributed around the yarn path so that adjacent wheels of each set have between them a single wheel of each other set, wherein one set of the wheels is movable between a position on one side of the plane containing the rotational axes of the other sets and a corresponding position on the other side of the plane.

6. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 5 having separate mountings at each position for the spindle of the movable set of wheels.

7. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 5 wherein the spindle of said movable set of wheels and its mounting are adjustable between the two positions.

8. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 7 wherein the spindle mounting is angularly adjustable to swing between the two positions.

9. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising four sets of friction members, arranged to provide two yarn paths, one for producing S-twist and the other for producing Z-twist.

10. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 9 wherein the direction of friction surface travel is reversible.

1 1. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 9 wherein the direction of yarn travel is reversible.

12. A friction twisting apparatus for yarn manufacture comprising means defining a yarn path including a plurality of members, each said member having a friction surface which has a region of contact with the yarn trevelling along said yarn path, the members being distributed along the yarn path so that the yarn contacts the friction surfaces in succession, said regions of contact of said friction surfaces lying in respective planes which are parallel to each other, the successive members being distributed around the yarn path such that perpendiculars to said planes at their respective regions of contact are at successive angles of a polygon considered in a selected direction around the polygon, said members being arranged in at least three sets, each said set having the said perpendiculars of its members coincident, drive means for driving said members to effect travel of all said regions of contact of the friction surfaces in the same directional sense transversely to the yarn path, said directional sense being the same as said selected direction around the polygon.

13. The friction twisting apparatus as claimed in claim 12, comprising means to reverse said directional sense of travel of the regions of contact and to obtain simultaneous reversal of said selected direction in which said perpendiculars succeed one another at successive angles of the said polygon.

14. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the members are rotatively driven wheels having said friction surfaces at their peripheries, and the members of each set are carried in axially spaced relationship by a respective common driving spindle, the spindles of the sets being distributed about the yarn path and being parallel to one another.

15. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 14, there being three sets of said wheels, one of said sets being movable in position from one side of the plane containing the axes of the spindles of the other set and a corresponding position on the other side of said plane.

16. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12, there being six sets of said members arranged in two groups each of three sets, the drive means giving said directions of travel and succession around the polygon in respect of a first of said groups opposite to said directions in respect of the second of said groups.

17. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12, there being four sets of said members, of

of the common central plane of the first said two sets.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 827 228 Dated August 6, 1974 Inventor(s) David L. McNeight and William J. Morris It is certified that error appears in the aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading insert Claims priority of United vKingdomApplication Serial No. 10329/72 filed March 6, 1972 Signed and sealed this 24th day of December 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 5O376-P69 U.5. GOYERNMENT PRINHNG OFFICE: I969 0-366-334 

1. A friction twisting apparatus for yarn processing comprising means defining a yarn path including at least three sets of friction surfaces grouped about the yarn path, all the friction surfaces lying in planes parallel to each other and transverse to the yarn path with one surface succeeding another so that the yarn contacts the friction surfaces in succession and perpendiculars to said planes at the points of yarn contact are at the angles of a polygon, means for providing said friction surfaces with a direction of travel all in the same direction which is also the same direction as the direction about the polygon in which the surfaces are successively contacted by the yarn, said directions when producing a twist of one hand being the reverse of the directions when producing twist of the opposite hand.
 2. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising a first group of said sets of friction surfaces for producing twist of the one hand and a second group of said sets of friction surfaces for producing twist of the opposite hand.
 3. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sets of friction surfaces comprise three sets of wheels, the wheels of each set being spaced apart along a common spindle which is parallel to the spindles of the other sets, and the spindles being distributed around the yarn path so that adjacent wheels of each set have between them a single wheel of each other set.
 4. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising also reversing means for reversing the said directions of travel and said direction of succession around the polygon, said reversing means including one set of said friction surfaces adjustable to a position relative to the remaining sets to reverse the direction around the polygon in which the friction surfaces succeed one another, the order of contact of the yarn with the surfaces being unaltered.
 5. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sets of friction surfaces comprise three sets of wheels, the wheels of each set being spaced apart along a common spindle which is parallel to the spindles of the other sets, and the spindles being distributed around the yarn path so that adjacent wheels of each set have between them a single wheel of each other set, wherein one set of the wheels is movable between a position on one side of the plane containing the rotational axes of the other sets and a corresponding position on the other side of the plane.
 6. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 5 having separate mountings at each position for the spindle of the movable set of wheels.
 7. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 5 wherein the spindle of said movable set of wheels and its mounting are adjustable between the two positions.
 8. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 7 wherein the spindle mounting is angularly adjustable to swing between the two positions.
 9. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 1 comprising four sets of friction members, arranged to provide two yarn paths, one for producing S-twist and the other for producing Z-twist.
 10. The frictioN twisting apparatus of claim 9 wherein the direction of friction surface travel is reversible.
 11. The friction twisting apparatus of claim 9 wherein the direction of yarn travel is reversible.
 12. A friction twisting apparatus for yarn manufacture comprising means defining a yarn path including a plurality of members, each said member having a friction surface which has a region of contact with the yarn trevelling along said yarn path, the members being distributed along the yarn path so that the yarn contacts the friction surfaces in succession, said regions of contact of said friction surfaces lying in respective planes which are parallel to each other, the successive members being distributed around the yarn path such that perpendiculars to said planes at their respective regions of contact are at successive angles of a polygon considered in a selected direction around the polygon, said members being arranged in at least three sets, each said set having the said perpendiculars of its members coincident, drive means for driving said members to effect travel of all said regions of contact of the friction surfaces in the same directional sense transversely to the yarn path, said directional sense being the same as said selected direction around the polygon.
 13. The friction twisting apparatus as claimed in claim 12, comprising means to reverse said directional sense of travel of the regions of contact and to obtain simultaneous reversal of said selected direction in which said perpendiculars succeed one another at successive angles of the said polygon.
 14. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the members are rotatively driven wheels having said friction surfaces at their peripheries, and the members of each set are carried in axially spaced relationship by a respective common driving spindle, the spindles of the sets being distributed about the yarn path and being parallel to one another.
 15. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 14, there being three sets of said wheels, one of said sets being movable in position from one side of the plane containing the axes of the spindles of the other set and a corresponding position on the other side of said plane.
 16. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12, there being six sets of said members arranged in two groups each of three sets, the drive means giving said directions of travel and succession around the polygon in respect of a first of said groups opposite to said directions in respect of the second of said groups.
 17. The friction twisting apparatus according to claim 12, there being four sets of said members, of which two sets in part define the yarn path when imparting twist of either hand, and the remaining two sets are disposed at corresponding positions on either side of the common central plane of the first said two sets. 